The Pivot Fund Pod

Amid all the hand-wringing over Sinclair Broadcasting chairman David Smith buying the Baltimore Sun, hardly anyone mentioned that he did it in partnership with Black businessman Armstrong Williams, who is now the first African American to own a major metropolitan newspaper since Bob Maynard bought and revitalized the Oakland Tribune four decades ago. Like Smith, Williams is a conservative, but in an interview, he describes newsroom independence as a core value and pledges that Sun reporters will continue to follow the facts wherever they lead – even if they lead to the disparagement of Donald Trump. Tune in for a compelling conversation between Armstrong and Tracie Powell, The Pivot Fund founder and CEO. About The Pivot Fund The Pivot Fund is a new venture philanthropy organization dedicated to investing $500 million into independent BIPOC-led community news outlets through grantmaking, development support, and strategic consulting. For more information on The Pivot Fund, visit thepivotfund.org.

Who do you need on your team? The hiring process can be daunting, and making the right choices about who to bring on board and when can have a major impact on your newsroom. Zuri Berry, The Baltimore Banner's digital strategy editor; Lisa Snowden, co-founder and editor-in-chief of the Baltimore Beat; Susan Gluck Pappajohn, a talent and organizational strategy consultant; and Madeleine Bair, founding director of El Tímpano, shared their experience and approach to growing their teams, tips to secure funding, and more. Resources mentioned in this episode: https://source.opennews.org/articles/introducing-leavers-results-survey/https://www.eltimpano.org/inside-el-timpano/toward-equitable-models-of-journalism-sustainability/https://www.airtable.comhttps://www.lionpublishers.comhttps://inn.org This conversation was sponsored by the Knight Foundation. -- The Pivot Fund is a new venture philanthropy organization dedicated to investing $500 million into independent BIPOC-led community news outlets through grantmaking, development support, and strategic consulting. For more information on The Pivot Fund, visit thepivotfund.org.

In the latest Pivot Publisher Series episode, The Kansas City Defender’s Ryan Sorrell, AfroLA’s Dana Amihere, and Haitian Times’ Garry Pierre-Pierre share innovative strategies to reach Black audiences and share news they can use, including impactful community-based programs, surveys, and social media strategies. The founders also delve into the (sometimes complicated) relationship between digital startups and traditional legacy news with examples of what and how they can learn from one another. This episode is thoughtfully moderated by The Pivot Fund CEO Tracie Powell and sponsored by the Knight Foundation. The Pivot Fund is a new venture philanthropy organization dedicated to investing $500 million into independent BIPOC-led community news outlets through grantmaking, development support, and strategic consulting. For more information on The Pivot Fund, visit www.thepivotfund.org.

The Pivot Publisher Series aims to equip hyperlocal BIPOC publishers and news leaders with tools, strategies and tactics to support their growth and continued success.Each month, we will gather industry experts, experienced publishers, news leaders and more to share their expertise, best practices and tools to shed light on a variety of topics including organizational design, how to hire top talent and more. The monthly webinar series kicked off with “Preparing for Transitions: Succession Planning," bringing together the experts and the experienced to share their journeys and tips for navigating the intricacies of succession planning. How can you exit responsibly and that's respectful to the work that you’ve done? What is philanthropy doing to support digital news pioneers? When is the ideal time to begin preparing? Moderator Evelyn Hsu, co-executive director at Maynard Institute, and panelists Mukhtar Ibrahim, founder of the Sahan Journal, Randall Yip, founder and editor of AsAmNews and Jane McDonnell, CEO of free range media and former executive director of the Online News Association shared their personal experience, tips for seamless, stress-free leadership transitions, and practical tools to ensure your news organization’s long-term success. About The Pivot Fund The Pivot Fund is a new venture philanthropy organization dedicated to investing $500 million into independent BIPOC-led community news outlets through grantmaking, development support, and strategic consulting. For more information on The Pivot Fund, visit www.thepivotfund.org.

At The Pivot Fund, we know true empowerment for community-led news outlets goes beyond the headlines. It's about providing the necessary tools and support to drive sustainable growth and success. That's why we're thrilled to partner with Justworks, a Professional Employer Organization (PEO), to bring you an exciting opportunity! The Just Thrive program offers women and minority-owned businesses a grant to support their administrative services. Solutions That Just Work reviews practical HR tips for startups and resources to streamline processes, save time, comply with state and federal laws and regulations, and more. Guests: Tracie PowellKhadija CollinsVania AndreDoug DrosinMoses Balian -- The Pivot Fund is a new venture philanthropy organization dedicated to investing $500 million into independent BIPOC-led community news outlets through grantmaking, development support, and strategic consulting. For more information on The Pivot Fund, visit https://thepivotfund.org.

BIPOC news leaders have a hard time overcoming racial bias to find funding and support. Black women are starting businesses at the fastest clip of any other racial group. Many of these startups don’t reach their full potential — or fail — in part because they can't raise the capital to start or sustain their businesses. In that spirit, The Pivot Fund held an intimate conversation between Amethyst J. Davis, the founder and publisher of the Harvey World Herald, and Wendi C. Thomas, the founder and publisher of MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, a nonprofit based in Memphis, Tennessee. Though at different points in their journeys, Davis and Thomas discuss their difficulties and challenges as startup newsroom leaders. Panelists included: About The Pivot Fund The Pivot Fund is a new venture philanthropy organization dedicated to investing $500 million into independent BIPOC-led community news outlets through grantmaking, development support, and strategic consulting. For more information on The Pivot Fund, visit www.thepivotfund.org.

The Pivot Fund CEO Tracie Powell and Northeastern University associate professor Dr. Meredith Clark discuss the unique difficulties BIPOC-led news organizations and startups face. This conversation is moderated by Melanie Sill, the founding executive director of the NC Local News Workshop at Elon University. The Pivot Fund is a new venture philanthropy organization dedicated to investing $500 million into independent BIPOC-led community news outlets through grantmaking, development support, and strategic consulting. For more information on The Pivot Fund, visit www.thepivotfund.org.

Raising funds is hard! But it doesn’t have to be. In this panel discussion, we review strategies for turning members of your board of directors into effective fundraisers by tapping into their wealth of knowledge, connections, and resources. Panelists included: Kyra KylesElisa Lees Muñoz Jamaal Glenn, The Pivot Fund’s board chair, moderated this discussion. This conversation was sponsored by the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. -- The Pivot Fund is a new venture philanthropy organization dedicated to investing $500 million into independent BIPOC-led community news outlets through grantmaking, development support, and strategic consulting. For more information on The Pivot Fund, visit https://thepivotfund.org. The Pivot Fund Pod is edited and produced by ZMC Podcasts.

Economists are forecasting a “mild” recession in 2023. That’s driven by inflation, higher interest rates, and a tight labor market. What can news publishers and entrepreneurs do to prepare for an economic downturn? Listen for an assessment of the current economic climate for journalism and advice on how small and bootstrapped newsrooms can survive a recession. Panelists included: Glenn BurkinsAnita LiJustin Rushing Zuri Berry, the principal producer and owner of ZMC Podcasts, moderated this discussion. This conversation was sponsored by the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. -- The Pivot Fund is a new venture philanthropy organization dedicated to investing $500 million into independent BIPOC-led community news outlets through grantmaking, development support, and strategic consulting. For more information on The Pivot Fund, visit https://thepivotfund.org. The Pivot Fund Pod is edited and produced by ZMC Podcasts.

What does it mean to be Black media? And how can media that targets Black audiences be culturally competent? The Pivot Fund and Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press hosted this conversation on Feb. 23, 2022, about Black media ownership and the support systems they need to be successful and serve the Black community. Tracie Powell, The Pivot Fund's CEO, moderated the discussion with Kamesha Laurry, an attorney and fellow at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Panelists included: News for All the People: The Epic Story of Race and the American MediaResources: rcfp.orgThe Pivot Fund is a new venture philanthropy organization dedicated to investing $500 million into independent BIPOC-led community news outlets through grantmaking, development support, and strategic consulting. For more information on The Pivot Fund, visit thepivotfund.org. The Pivot Fund Pod is edited and produced by ZMC Podcasts.

Dr. Marisela Martinez-Cola, professor of sociology at Morehouse College, and Meena Thiruvengadam, an audience development consultant and former global head of audience engagement for Bloomberg, discuss the demographic changes currently underway in the South and how publishers can connect with new Black, Brown, and Asian community members. The conversation was hosted by The Pivot Fund on September 21, 2021, and sponsored by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Martinez-Cola and Thiruvendgadam were joined by Sonny “Messiah” Jiles, the publisher of the Houston Defender, and Cierra Hinton, the executive director and publisher of Scalawag magazine. The Pivot Fund Pod is edited and produced by ZMC Podcasts.

S. Mitra Kalita, the publisher of Epicenter-NYC, talks about leaving behind a high-profile job at CNN and a guaranteed paycheck to launch her own brand. Kalita joined The Pivot Fund on Oct. 27, 2021, to discuss how she’s part of the movement to reimagine community-centered journalism and how Epicenter-NYC grew newsletters into an empire. This conversation is co-moderated by The Pivot Fund's chief executive officer Tracie Powell and Liz Alarcón, the founder and executive director of Pulso, a nonprofit media start-up that shares news, history, and culture stories by and for Latinos. The Pivot Fund Pod is edited and produced by ZMC Podcasts.

Board development might be one of the driest topics of conversation when it comes to entrepreneurship. It's also one of the hardest things to do, especially in the journalism business, where many publishers want to recruit people who are in the industry and have a working knowledge about news media and the ethics that govern it. However, despite its lack of appeal, building a strong board of directors is critical to a news outlet's success and sustainability. That's why The Pivot Fund hosted an important conversation about board development with BoardSource affiliate and nonprofit consultant Glenda Hicks and Josué Rojas, an artist and former publisher of El Tecolote, the longest-running bilingual newspaper in California. Rojas also serves on the advisory board for El Tímpano. The Pivot Fund Pod is edited and produced by ZMC Podcasts.

More than $2.7 billion has been invested in the journalism ecosystem. That influx of cash has led many news outlets to seek development staff for the first time. But hiring development staff isn’t easy. These are professionals who are in demand but short in supply. It takes special expertise to raise money for journalistic institutions. And for many news outlets, it might not be necessary or the right time to hire development staff. The Pivot Fund hosted a special panel discussion about grants and funding focused on helping independent, BIPOC-led news outlets answer these very questions. Including at what point they’ll need to hire development staff and where to find them, how much organizations can expect to pay, and alternatives to hiring a full-time development director. Panelists included: Lolly BoweanSusan Gluck PappajohnJulia Howell BarrosKaylan SomervilleMazin Sidahmed, co-founder and senior reporter for Documented, a hyper-local community new outlet that covers immigrant communities in New York City, moderated the discussion. This conversation was sponsored by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The Pivot Fund Pod is edited and produced by ZMC Podcasts.